I’m new to bandsaws and just shot and dragged home a Jet 14″-er. Am looking for opinions on essential accessories to get full benefit of the tool. Any help is appreciated.
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Replies
Blades intended for metal working. They are very good for cutting wood, meat, frozen pastry, frozen bread etc. I've never tried them on metal.
It should be obvious, but don't cut food with your Jet. It wasn't designed to be washed down.
Lots of well-meaning folks will recommend that you start ordering "upgrades" and catalogs right away. My recommendation? Don't buy anything but bands for several months. Get used to the saw and get some practice with it, then decide what if anything you need.
The band that came with this saw is likely of poor quality. An excellent band to start with would be a 3/8" X 4TPI silicon steel (aka "Timberwolf) band. You can buy them from Suffolk Machinery (http://www.suffolkmachinery.com) or Constitution Saw (no web site, but easy to google the phone #). Along with that, I'd buy a 1/2" X 3TPI band for resawing. If there's a 3-fer special going on, I'd buy two of the 3/8 and one of the 1/2.
Congratulations and good luck!
Pete
Edited 3/24/2007 4:38 pm ET by PeteBradley
thanks. I had no plans to cut meat in the same shop where I trap mice. I don't think my wife would appreciate it. thanks for the advice on the blades. I will work that right away
IMHO, no accessory is essential. I use a miter gauge occasionally. The one from your tablesaw probably will do. I immediately bought a riser block kit for wider resaw operations. You might also want to do that so that you don't waste a lot of money on short blades. You will probably want several blades, though none for meat cutting. I bought a rip fence. That was money wasted. If you resaw, a larger motor is not necessary though you may want to buy one to speed up the operation a little. It is still a slow process on a 14-incher.
Cadiddlehopper
Yeah, I use my miter gauge a lot. In some cases this is because I don't have a TS. I also use two different fences, one homemade for resaw, and one a clamp on edge guide for routine rips.Pete
IMHO there's one essential accessory for any bandsaw. Get yourself one of the magnetic base gooseneck lights. Being able to see what you're cutting is pretty important.
If you build it he will come.
My opinion: The only accessory of value for a (new) 14" bandsaw is a riser block. Other than that, learn about and buy good blades.
You can build variations of most commercially available accessories (jigs, fences, etc) from Birch Ply and MDF - and learn a bit more about woodworking in the process. FWW has had countless articles. A Google search will yield more.
BC Saw & Tool sells quality material and decent prices. They also have a tutorial of sorts on their website that will help you decide which blades to buy. All fact, no fluff.
http://www.bcsaw.com/pages/bandsaw%20guide/bandsaw1.htm
Regards.
Edited 3/25/2007 8:40 am ET by beachfarm
BillA,
I have the same machine, and I bought the rip fence, riser block, cool blocks, mobile base and a after market tensioning spring. With the exception of a 3/16" wide blade from Delta, I only use Starrett Power Band Matrix II blades on my saw, and never anything wider than 3/8".
While not by definition an accessory for the bandsaw, I also have an inexpensive Delta dust collector hooked up to my machine.
Rob Millard
http://www.americanfederalperiod.com
Rob,
Perhaps you could post a picture of your resaw fence for BillA? I have found that to be particularly useful...along push blocks to keep pressure against the fence while resawing.
Having used my BS for some time, the best accessory for the saw would be the blade tension quick release. I do not faithfully release the blade tension after each session. I've been saying I'm going to purchase one for over a year, now. Soon, very soon. ; )
ONWARD! THROUGH THE FOG.
Chuck
Detensioning is overrated. I detension if I think the saw is going to sit for a while, but there's little reason to be religious about it. Good comments on push blocks and dust collection. I use foam-backed handled blocks from Woodcraft all the time, as well as various shopmade flavors. Resawing generates a lot of dust and dust collection or a shop-vac with a high-efficiency filter will reduce the amount of dust that goes everywhere (including your lungs).Another nice shopmade accessory to have is a taper jig. Lots of plans out there, and really useful for table legs, etc.Pete
Edited 3/25/2007 1:56 pm ET by PeteBradley
Glad to hear your comments about detensioning, and no rebuttals from others. I believe you've just saved me a chunk of change as the price of this accessory is what has kept me from buying it. I use it quite frequently and do detension when it's idle for a time. Thanks.ONWARD! THROUGH THE FOG.
Chuck
I have fallen in love with my 'woodslicer' blade from highland hardware. It is the ideal affordable resaw/ ripping blade. It has thinner than usual kerf, less set, and a variable pitch which all add up to a very smooth and effortless cut. It has stayed sharp for quite a while now, even with some re-saw work on 8" tall walnut.
Perhaps the coolest benifit is the fact that it acts like a HP upgrade because of the thinner kerf. You can cut through more wood with less effort. It was specifially designed for 14" saws like your jet which tend to be a bit underpowered and can't tension a full 1" blade to 15000 psi. There is a 1/2" and 3/4 inch available. I have the 3/4.
As woodworker without a tablesaw, this blade has made ripping on the bandsaw a real pleasure. You could go out and spend $200 on a carbide tipped blade, but this one gives close to the same quality for only $35.
___________
Other than that, I nice outfeed table can be a real time saver. I made one that looks like and 'L' and wraps around the right side of my table to support wider panels and crosscuts.
You can even add a mitre slot extention into it if you so desire. Right now mine just clamps to my BS table from underneath, but I've thought about drilling and tapping a few holes in the side of the BS table so my outfeed table can just be screwed into it for perfect alignment.
Mark Duginske's Band Saw Handbook and perhaps the DVD/video.http://www.woodworkerslibrary.com/search.php?substring=Band+Saw+Handbook&price_search_1=&price_search_2=&in_category=
Good suggestion on the woodslicer. I also have HH woodslicer(s).
I am curious as to why you would need a 3/4 or 1" blade. I do some 6-8" resawing and my 1/2 blade is as much as I can emagine needing for any resaw I would ever do on my Delta 14 with a riser.
coolbreeze-The wider blade provides two main benefits. First, it is more resistant to flexing as you push wood into it, and second it tracks a little straighter because it is supported further back in the kerf. I went with the 3/4 inch blade because I have a 16" Laguna saw that can run up to a 1" blade and re-saw up to 12". For re-saw cuts this big, the higher tension and added resistance to bending is worthwhile. For most re-sawing of 8" or less, however, your 1/2 inch blade is better suited to your saw, since requires less tension. Flexing should not be a serious issue either, so long as the cuts are 8" or less. I just wanted to be prepared should I decide to re-saw some 12" hard maple or tropical hardwoods. vincent
A 16" Laguna is more than just 2" more than mine. It is a LOT more machine.
Do you have a quick release for your tension?
Cool
Douglas2cats gave half of my reply. My usual 'upgrade' for a 110 volt machine is... Cut off existing power cord. Install an electric box with a duplex outlet and a 10 foot cord. Outlet #1 is for a work lamp, while outlet #2 is to plug in a shop-vac for easier clean-ups. You may want to upgrade the guides to 'cool-blocks' or a 'Carter' type bearing guide. Otherwise, the most useful accessories are shop-built jigs designed for specific projects you are doing.
Enjoy your new machine. Work safely! SawdustSteve
cool idea on the outlet with lamp, etc. But I'm gonna wire it to 220V
Evening all,
I have been reading quite a bit here on a riser block for a 14" bandsaw. I know this sounds like a dumb question, but what does a riser block get you? I have an 18" bandsaw that I use for resawing. Should I consider buying a riser block for my 14"? Would this be an asset to my shop?
Jeff
Woodman: If I had your 18" saw I'd set it up with a wide blade and a good fence and do much more resawing, leaving a narrow blade on the 14". Adding a riser block to a 14" saw increases it's throat capacity from 6" to 12" which is great. Unfortunately if the saw is powered with a 1/2-3/4 Hp motor it's going to be slow going.Vic
Actually the throat capacity stays at 14”. The riser block gets you another 6” of cutting height, (from 6” to 12”).
Napie: Thanks for the correction.Vic
"Actually the throat capacity stays at 14”. The riser block gets you another 6” of cutting height, (from 6” to 12”)."On Delta saws at least, throat capacity will actually decrease about an inch with a riser block, because the upper casting curves away backwards just above the joint with the lower casting (and below table level) before rising and arcing over the front. A riser block, being straight vertically, limits throat depth by eliminating that helpful backward curve.
BruceT
That's a fact Bruce, I had not noticed that.
At least I got the Jet DX model, which has the 1.25 HP motor.
1. Read Michael Fortune's 5 tips for better bandsawing FW#173 or online at this site.
Once properly tuned up, the bandsaw is a fine tool.
2. Then decide what to do after you really spend some time with the machine.
3. Read Michael Fortune's 5 tips for better bandsawing FW#173 or online at this site.
Tensioning devices. The knob on my band saw was designed to scrape knuckle skin as well as tension the blade. I made handle out a bit of plywood, two screws up through the plastic knob, golf ball with a bolt through it attached to the other end. Crank it up, crank it down.
Someone sells an after market lever style device, but it is a bit over priced.
I use a 1/2" blade for most of my work. I have been resawing a fair bit lately and find that the 6" limitation is not a problem. That is a fairly substantial piece of 8/4 wood to be handling.
Other than that, a good light and good dust collection. Your bandsaw will create lots of very fine dust. Wear a good mask.
Don
thanks for all the good suggestions. I have ordered a mobile stand and the riser blocks. My shop is reasonable size but my policy is to put everything on wheels for max flexibility. I saw the FWW with the bandsaw tips. i especially liked the idea where a brush is attached such that it scrapes the dust off the lower wheel. Next I will make a decision about blades...
BillA
Here is a photo of the resaw fence I made for my bandsaw. Like all my shop made jigs it is quite crude ( I hate to make jigs and it shows). There is a slot in the fence to allow for adjusting the blade guides for different widths of lumber while resawing. I also have the Jet factory rip fence for the saw.
I agree that de-tensioning is overrated. I only release the tension on my saw at Christmas time when I'm not working. In the nearly ten years I've had the saw, I've had to replace the bearing once. I think this is quite good, since it is my most used power tool.
Rob Millard
http://www.americanfederalperiod.com
looks like a simple yet effective jig
Plenty of push sticks, blocks and the like. Band saws love fingers. I would also invest in a good fence. I bought the Kreg. Paid just over $100. Small pieces are easier and safer than on the table saw or chop saw. They don't fly around the room quite so often either.
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